Communicating Earth

Description:

Rob Cooper, host of the Climate Unf*cked podcast speaks to Tom Clark, host of Communicating Earth podcast. 

Rob launched his podcast last year after an ayahuasca “moment” in Bolivia in 2022. In this discussion he shares what he’s learned so far including:

• Using a podcast as a "knowledge cartilage" to support the basic "bones" of climate science
• The power of a  provocative name
• Using humour to find common ground
• The power of authenticity over production polish
• LinkedIn strategy for promoting a podcast
  

Listen to Rob Cooper’s tips on how to create podcast content that cuts through the noise to reach your audience and walks the line between pro-comms and authenticity - whilst landing climate messaging and sparking action.

Connect with Rob on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-coop/

Recommended book: Speaking To My Daughter About the Economy by Yanis Varoufakis https://www.yanisvaroufakis.eu/books/talking-to-my-daughter-about-the-economy-a-brief-history-of-capitalism/

Notes:

Climate Unf*cked podcast - https://climateunfucked.substack.com/ 

The Big Bang Theory - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Big_Bang_Theory

Kevin Anderson - https://climateuncensored.com/

Carbon Brief - https://www.carbonbrief.org/

The Third Door by Alex Banyan - https://alexbanayan.com/book/

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck  by Mark Manson - https://markmanson.net/not-giving-a-fuck

Tim Ferris - https://tim.blog/podcast/

Outrage and Optimism - https://www.outrageandoptimism.org/

Simon Clark - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRRr_xrOm66qaigIbwFLvbQ

The Infinite Monkey Cage - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00snr0w

The Graham Norton Show - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006xnzc

Reform Radio - https://www.reformradio.co.uk/

Released: 13 May 2026

Run Time: 53 minutes

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube

Phil Korbel, Co-Founder of The Carbon Literacy Project, talks to host Tom Clark in the latest episode made by and for climate communicators. 

Phil is a global leader in climate education and The Carbon Literacy Project has trained more than 160,000 people in more than 14,000 organisations including BBC, Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy, NHS, Patagonia and many more.

Phil shares his mission to:

• Embed climate education as a core workplace competence
• Use a flexible learning framework to scale training 
• Tackle confirmation bias and our innate limited psychological bandwidth for disruption
• Reframe climate action as a way to lower costs, minimise risk, and thrive.

If he could get us to do one thing differently as communicators it would be to “drop the polar bears” and focus on personal, local stories that align with people's existing values.

Recommended Book:

"Don't Even Think About It: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change" by George Marshall https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/dont-even-think-about-it-9781632861023/ 

Follow Phil Korbel at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-korbel-2425264/ 

Additional Notes:

• Carbon Literacy Project - https://carbonliteracy.com
• Kris de Meyer -https://www.krisdemeyer.com/ 
• Katherine Hayhoe  - https://katharinehayhoe.com/ 
• Years and Years - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000539g 
• Under Salt Marsh - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Salt_Marsh
• Carbon Brief - https://www.carbonbrief.org/ 
• The Sheep Look Up - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sheep_Look_Up 

Released: 6 May 2026

Run Time: 48 minutes

How to communicate complex climate technology like a human being

Nathaniel Walters speaks with Lucia Schweigert, Strategic Director at climate tech communications agency Life Size. A former flamenco dancer turned climate communicator, Lucia explains how storytelling, strategy and human psychology shape the adoption of climate technologies.

Hear Lucia’s experience of:

• Using communications to help climate startups scale to global companies
• Translating complex science into messages that human beings can understand
• Bridging the gap between climate tech engineers and investors - so stories connect

Lucia argues that effective communication isn’t “a nice extra”, it’s essential. Because if climate technologies aren’t understood, invested in, and adopted, they won’t scale fast enough to transform the industries that drive the climate crisis.

Connect with Lucia on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/luciaschweigert/

Life Size https://www.linkedin.com/company/life-size-media

Recommended book: “How to Feed the World” by Vaclav Smil: https://vaclavsmil.com/book/how-to-feed-the-world/ 

Additional notes: 

Life Size: https://lifesizemedia.com/

Kempower: https://kempower.com/

Synhelion: https://synhelion.com

Sustainable Air Fuel (SAF): https://flightfree.co.uk/post/the-trouble-with-saf/

David Attenborough: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Attenborough

Nina Harjula: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninamariaharjula/ 

Chris Wedding’s Climate CEOs newsletter: ​​https://entrepreneursforimpact.substack.com/about

Bloomberg’s Green Daily: https://www.bloomberg.com/account/newsletters/green-daily

Released: 29 April 2026

Run time: 55m

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Youtube

Can you “sell” climate action like a product?

In this episode, John Marshall, the founder of Potential Energy Coalition, makes the case that the barrier to climate progress isn’t awareness, it’s relevance. Drawing on the deep data of digital advertising and longitudinal studies tracking millions of people, he explores why climate messaging underperforms - and what actually moves people to act.

John’s work starts with the audience’s life: their bills, their kids, their taxes. His research shows that “soft support” for climate action is already high - but fragile. He argues that the difference between apathy and urgency often comes down to one thing: whether communicators connect climate to everyday consequences.

This conversation is packed with practical tactics and a challenge:

• A surprisingly successful Super Bowl ad 
• A powerful rule—“say the consequence within five words of climate change”
• If the cost of building public support is falling fast, what’s stopping us from scaling it?

It’s about treating climate communication as a system you can measure, test and win.

Recommended book: The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert

Follow John Marshall at https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-marshall-1a61b516/

Additional notes: 

Potential Energy Coalition - https://www.potentialenergycoalition.org/

Email Potential Energy Coalition your questions at - [email protected]

Five Simple Shifts for Climate Communication in 2026 - https://potentialenergycoalition.org/2026-climate-change-communicators-guide-five-key-shifts/

Potential Energy Coalition’s That’s Interesting Newsletter - https://potentialenergycoalition.org/newsletter/

By The Time Super Bowl Ad -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rnfywUFFSU

Swayable - https://www.swayable.com/

Yale Program on Climate Change Communication - https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/

We Mean Business Coalition  - https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/

Outrage + Optimism Podcast - https://www.outrageandoptimism.org/

Released: 22 April 2026

Run time: 48m

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Youtube

What does it take to make the world care about a fish?

In this episode of Communicating Earth, Nathaniel speaks with Gemma Parkes—Head of Communications at the Nature Positive Initiative—about storytelling as a tool for system change. From global coalitions to Paris Metro ads, Gemma has spent her career translating complex environmental crises into narratives that move power: policymakers, businesses, and the public.

At the heart of the conversation is a deceptively simple idea: communications isn’t broadcasting—it’s participation. Gemma unpacks how campaigns like the Atlantic bluefin tuna recovery succeeded not through a single message, but through a coordinated “ecosystem” of stories—science, culture, industry, and identity—all working together.

She also explores the limits of awareness: why people can care deeply but still fail to act, how misinformation reshapes the playing field, and why the future of climate communication is collaborative, interactive, and strategically targeted.

This is a conversation about moving beyond noise—toward narratives that actually shift decisions, behaviours, and outcomes.

Recommended book: The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall

Follow Gemma Parkes at https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemmaparkes/ 

Additional notes: 

Nature Positive: https://www.naturepositive.org/ 

Nature Positive book: https://www.naturepositive.org/book/

Nature Positive film: https://www.naturepositive.org/film/  

Kyoto: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_(play) 

Nathaniel’s reference to the book on history of fishing - W. Jeffrey Bolster, Mortal Sea: Fishing the Atlantic in the Age of Sail

Released: 15 April 2026

Run time: 49m

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Youtube

What if the most powerful climate message isn’t data but love?

In this episode, Tom speaks with Rebecca Wynn, Head of Communications at Our Kids' Climate, about building a global movement rooted not in expertise, but in care. Rebecca traces her journey from civil servant to “mother activist,” and explains how a visceral realisation—imagining her son’s life in 2030 and 2050—reshaped her entire approach to communication.

At the heart of her work is the simple idea that parents are trusted, relatable messengers, and love is a mobilising force. Through the “Our Kids’ Air” campaign, she shares how hundreds of parent groups across 50+ countries coordinated action—from WHO conference interventions to WhatsApp-organised protests—without sacrificing authenticity.

This conversation explores a different model of climate communication: one that blends top-down influence with bottom-up storytelling, trades rigid message discipline for creative ownership, and replaces abstract futures with tangible, human stakes.

Recommended book: The poems of Mary Oliver, especially Wild Geese, The Summer Day, When I Am Among the Trees

Follow Rebecca Wynn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-wynn-2b4b6029/

Additional notes: 

“We are the Majority” video - https://wearethemajority.earth/

Our Kids’ Climate - https://ourkidsclimate.org/

Clean Air Fund case study on parent-led action - https://www.cleanairfund.org/case-study/parental-love-drives-clean-air-action/

“Every Breath Tells a Story” (Our Kids Air film) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUK2JBvPdVE

Warrior Moms (India) - https://warriormoms.in/

Mothers Rise Up (UK) - https://www.mothersriseup.org/

Mother’s Rise Up with giant inhaler prop - https://www.thecanary.co/trending/2025/03/16/mothers-rise-up-protest/

Parents for Climate (Australia) - https://www.parentsforclimate.org/

For Our Kids (Canada) - https://www.forourkids.ca/

Parents for Future (UK) - https://parentsforfuture.org.uk/

Mums for Lungs (UK) - https://www.mumsforlungs.org/

Research on effects of ULEZ on children’s lung health after - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12556170/

Potential Energy Coalition - https://potentialenergycoalition.org/

Released: 8/4/26

Run time: 50m

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Youtube

Why hasn’t all the science, data, and urgency translated into faster climate action?

Tom Clark sits down with Dina Cappiello, former Chief Communications Officer at RMI and explores why communication itself is what’s blocking faster climate action. 

Drawing on a career spanning journalism, PR, and the NGO world, Dina argues that facts alone don’t move people - stories do.

In this episode learn about:

• Translating dense research into human language and making “boring” topics like energy efficiency compelling
• What actually drives engagement and action
• The tension between accuracy and accessibility
• Why climate communicators must focus on relatability, emotion, and attention.

Listen to a powerful case study: how a story about the Empire State Building helped make energy efficiency inspiring.

If you’re trying to change minds - or the world - this conversation is essential listening.

Recommended film: Microcosmos (1996)

Follow Dina Cappiello at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dina-cappiello-1937268/

Additional notes: 

Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) - https://rmi.org/

Canary Media - https://www.canarymedia.com/

Climate Now - https://www.climatenow.com/

The Daily https://www.nytimes.com/column/the-daily 

Microcosmos - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcosmos_(film) 

Climate Colored Goggles - https://substack.com/@climatecoloredgoggles

Katherine Hayhoe - https://www.katharinehayhoe.com/ 

Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC) - https://gsccnetwork.org/ 

Released: 31/3/26

Run time: 55m

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Youtube

What if action, not awareness, is the key to communicating about  climate change?

In this episode, Tom speaks with neuroscientist and climate communication expert Kris de Meyer about the psychology of agency, belief, and action. Drawing on years of research - and a pivotal moment watching a misleading climate documentary - Kris explains why information alone doesn’t change minds, and why persuasion is often the wrong goal entirely.

Hear Kris argue for:

• A radical shift: from explaining the problem to enabling action
• From individual choices to collective agency
• From fear-driven narratives to stories that show what’s already being done
• How people can take part.

Learn more about how beliefs are shaped by action, why listening beats arguing, and how communicators - from scientists to campaigners - can unlock “penny drop” moments that lead to real change.

If you’re trying to communicate climate more effectively, this episode offers a powerful reframing: don’t just tell people what’s wrong - help them discover what they can do.

Recommended books: Fairhaven: A Novel of Climate Optimism by Steve Willis & Jan Lee

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/209228205-fairhaven / The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson

Follow Kris De Meyer at https://www.linkedin.com/in/krisdm/

Additional notes: 

Climate Action Unit (UCL) - https://www.ucl.ac.uk/climate-action-unit/

Transforming the Stories We Tell About Climate Change: From Issue to Action: A 2020 paper written by Kris -  https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abcd5a

TED Talk: How to Stop Feeling Stuck on Climate Change - https://www.ted.com/talks/kris_de_meyer_how_to_stop_feeling_stuck_on_climate_change

Right Between Your Ears - https://filmfreeway.com/454046

An Inconvenient Truth - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Inconvenient_Truth

Star Trek: The Next Generation - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation

Released: 24/3/26

Run time: 45m

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube

What happens when climate scientists refuse to stay in their lane?

Tom Clark speaks with Dr. James Dyke, Earth systems scientist at the University of Exeter.

James is also the co-author of the influential article in 2021: Climate scientists: concept of net zero is a dangerous trap, where he and fellow academics argued: that net zero, “... is a great idea, in principle. Unfortunately, in practice it helps perpetuate a belief in technological salvation and diminishes the sense of urgency surrounding the need to curb emissions now.”  

In this conversation hear James discuss:

• Why climate science doesn’t suffer from an information deficit — it suffers from an action deficit
• How many of today’s climate narratives risk delaying the rapid decarbonisation we urgently need
• The tension between academia and activism, and why scientists must do more than simply publish research
• How climate communicators can work with academics and why the most powerful form of communication may still be face-to-face conversations with people.

In this powerful discussion hear why James believes that we may have failed to avoid dangerous climate change - but that doesn’t mean we’re doomed.

Recommended book: Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman

Follow James Dyke at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesgdyke/ 

Additional notes: 

Climate scientists: concept of net zero is a dangerous trap - https://theconversation.com/climate-scientists-concept-of-net-zero-is-a-dangerous-trap-157368 

Gaia hypothesis - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_hypothesis 

Planet Critical - https://www.planetcritical.com/about/ 

Lawyers Are Responsible - https://www.lar.earth/ 

Strategic Climate Risks Initiative - https://www.scri.org.uk/ 

Global Tipping Points - https://global-tipping-points.org/

Released: 18/03/26

Run time: 51m

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube

What does it mean to turn a ship into a communications platform for the planet?

In this episode, Nathaniel Walters speaks with Emilie McGlone, Director of Peace Boat US, about using an international vessel as a floating hub for climate action, ocean advocacy, and peacebuilding.

Hear how Peace Boat mobilised youth leaders, artists, universities, government ministers and media to amplify the UN High Seas (BBNJ) Treaty and the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. 

Emilie talks about:

• Strategy, building local networks, working in local languages, aligning with UN frameworks, and creating collaborative spaces
• Balancing press outreach with grassroots participation
• Moving climate stories beyond “doom and gloom” toward visible, collective action.

From the Nobel Peace Prize exhibition onboard to youth-led ocean advocacy, this episode explores how testimony, partnership and place-based storytelling can turn global treaties into a story of action that people get inspired from.

Recommended Series: Our Oceans https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81139969 

Follow Emilie McGlone at https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilie-mcglone/ 

Additional notes: 

Peaceboat / Ecoship: https://peaceboat.org/english/ / https://ecoship-pb.com/ 

Dr Sylvia Earle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Earle 

Zandile Ndhlovu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zandile_Ndhlovu 

Our Oceans / Netflix: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Oceans 

Democracy Now: https://www.democracynow.org/ 

UNFCCC: https://unfccc.int/ 

COP: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference  

Released: 11/3/26

Run time: 40 minutes

Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Youtube